Edson Barboza is still waiting for his next bout to be booked.
Barboza last competed in October when he comfortably outpointed Makwan Amirkhani over three rounds in their featherweight bout. It snapped a three-fight losing streak for Barboza, though two of those prior losses were contested split decisions against Paul Felder and Dan Ige.
The Brazilian was notably unhappy with the judges for both those fights and along with his prior issues with the UFC over getting a fight booked, Barboza was not in a good place.
However, his win over Amirkhani lifted a huge weight off his shoulders as he proceeded to plea to the promotion to give him a fight as soon as possible.
That next fight would also notably be the last of Barboza’s current contract, but over four months on since his win, there is no update as of yet. And for the former lightweight contender, there are only three options.
“Nope, nothing changed,” Barboza told MMA Junkie. “I was just waiting. I called my manager end of December and said, ‘Hey, if the UFC wants to give me a fight, please, I’m ready,’ and I was training a lot December, January. I’m ready. If the UFC gives me an opportunity to fight real soon, to fight the last fight, I’m ready.
“If you’re going to renew my contract, let’s see what happens, or let me go. I have three options right now, but let’s see what happens. Like I said, I have one more fight, and I’m ready for this fight.”
Barboza Healthy And Ready To Go
Barboza — currently ranked No. 15 in the featherweight division — has made it no secret that he wants a top-ranked contender next.
Whether he gets it remains to be seen, but more than anything, the 35-year-old feels better than ever and is ready to compete as soon as possible.
“Thank God I was 100 percent healthy; I train a lot, I feel better and better every single day and I want to fight,” Barboza added. “I called my manager, and I told him I want to fight in January and it didn’t happen. I want to fight in February, February is now.
“Right now, I probably want to fight in March, I don’t know. Like I said, I’m ready UFC. Give me a couple of weeks, my weight is good, everything’s good, I’m ready to go.”
Hopefully, Barboza lands a worthy opponent in the next few weeks.
